No. 3. 



The Kiniore Ox. 



89 



THE KINTORE OX, 

 A cross between the Aberdeen and Improved Short-Horn. 



In the 5th vol. of the Cabinet, p. 249, a portrait of this wonderful animal is given in his 

 last stage of fatness — he appears at the head of the present article when about half fat, and 

 in his prime of beauty and comeliness. In this stage of his life, he was sent from Kirk 

 Hall, Scotland, to London, by steam-boat, and consigned to Mr. Harvey Combe, by whom 

 he was fed another year at his estate at Cobham, Surrey, on ruta-bagas, hay, and six pounds 

 of oil-cake per day during the winter, and cut grass and oatmeal in the spring and summer, 

 and at the end of that time he exhibited an enormous mass of fat, but of beautiful symmetry, 

 for which, and the equable manner in which he had laid it on, and his almost perfect level- 

 ness from shoulder to tail, he was universally admired ; he was then supposed to weigh 

 2500 lbs., being rising six years old. 



When it is known that the Aberdeenshire breed of cattle are very small, often weighing 

 not more than 350 lbs. at four years old, the importance of a single cross with the Short- 

 Horns will easily be understood ; and with an increase of .size, there is also the improvement 

 of the beef, the Aberdeen affording quality, the Short-Horn, quantity ; both uniting to form 

 the remarkable individual here faithfully pourtrayed. But since the introduction of the 

 turnip-husbandry into this part of Scotland, even the native breeds have been much improved 

 in size, and are become double their original weight by judicious selections from amongst 

 themselves, without losing the propensity to fatten, and without growing above their keep — 

 a matter of the greatest moment, for cattle should never be raised of a larger size than will 

 fatten on their native pastures : the alterations and improvements in agriculture, and the 

 introduction of the turnip-husbandry have contributed to this, as well as to the generally 

 increased quantity of milk, many of the dairies now yielding double the number of gallons 

 that they formerly did; while in the fertile districts, the original breed of cattle of four or 

 five hundred weight, have been frequently made to feed from fifteen to sixteen hundred 

 pounds, without any cross of the stock. The colour of this breed of cattle is usually black, 

 but sometimes very dark brindled ; they are now heavier in the carcass, and give a larger 

 quantity of milk than the West Highlanders, but they do not come so soon to maturity, nor 

 is their flesh quite so beautifully marbled ; yet, at a proper age they fatten as readily as 

 others, not only on good pasture, but on that which is somewhat inferior; while some of the 

 first graziers in Scotland have preferred them as fatteners to all others of the Scotch breeds. 

 Besides these, there is another breed of cattle in Aberdeenshire ; they are polled, or muleys, 

 somewhat of a larger size, although not so handsome, neither is their meat so much valued, 

 at the market : these also have been much improved by judicious selections. 



